Florida A&M is finalizing a deal to hire Charlie Ward, the Heisman Trophy winner turned longtime New York Knicks point guard, as its men’s basketball coach.
The school has prepared to offer Ward a five-year contract worth $195,000 per year, according to an agenda for a university board of trustees meeting. The board will meet at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
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Located in Tallahassee, Fla., Florida A&M is just minutes from where Ward starred in both football and basketball at Florida State from 1989 to 1994. As starting quarterback in his final two seasons, Ward became the school’s first-ever Heisman winner in 1993 and led the Seminoles to their first national championship in 1994.
Less than six months later, Ward was drafted by the Knicks with the No. 26 pick. He is the only Heisman Trophy winner to play in the NBA.
Ward’s dual-sport career at Florida State began in 1989 with him filling the football team’s vacant punter job — a starting role Ward later told ESPN he didn’t want.
“I was not happy about winning the job. I didn’t come to Florida State to be the punter. I came to be the quarter back,” Ward said.
He then redshirted the 1990 football season to play basketball, electing to play both sports in 1991-92.
A point guard on the hardwood, Ward developed a reputation as a feared on-ball defender with a knack for stealing. He helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament three times, including an Elite Eight run in 1993. He was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 10 seasons with the Knicks, Ward averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 assists per game, becoming the team’s starting point guard from 1997 to 2000 as the team made deep playoff runs and reached the 1999 NBA Finals. He finished his career with stints on the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
Ward, 54, spent time as an assistant coach with the Rockets during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. Since 2014, he has coached at a local Florida high school, first in football and then in basketball. He led the Florida State University Schools boys basketball team to a state championship in 2022.
If hired at Florida A&M, Ward would become the latest former athlete to take the coaching reigns at an HBCU school, joining football coaches Michael Vick (Norfolk State), Desean Jackson (Delaware State) and Terrell Buckley (Mississippi Valley State). In basketball, Ward would join former NBA All-Star Mo Williams, who has been coach at Jackson State since 2022.
At Florida A&M, Ward would replace Patrick Crarey, who left the program after one year for Grambling State. Florida A&M went 13-16 overall and 10-8 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season.
(Photo: Brian Miller / Democrat)
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